


Reasons of the Heart

by theclashofqueenss



Series: Witcher Family Short Drafts [2]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-06 09:30:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14639007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theclashofqueenss/pseuds/theclashofqueenss
Summary: Reasons of the Heart takes place at the Rosemary and Thyme, before, during and after the quest Reasons of State. It follows the reactions of Yen, Ciri and Geralt to those events and has some emotional conversations that were needed between these characters, specially Yen and Ciri.





	1. The evening before

The last few days had been extremely busy and filled with bad news. Out of the ten sorceresses of the Lodge, only Philippa, Triss and Rita, who was still recovering from her time in prison, were recruited. There was also Yennefer, of course, though she had never belonged to the Lodge.

On top of that, Geralt had agreed to help with an insane plan to kill Radovid, as if he didn’t have enough problems of his own. In that evening, the witcher felt tired after long hours of running around making preparations for a plan he didn’t like even one bit and decided to return to the Rosemary and Thyme to rest a little.

Arriving there, Geralt drank a pinch of vodka with Dandelion and Zoltan and headed to the suite he was sharing with Yennefer, only to find Philippa leaving the room.

“Ready, witcher?”

“Does it matter? I’ll do my part, leave, and be done with it.”

“If you do your part, it really doesn’t matter. Sleep well Geralt.” Then she left to her own chambers, smirking as if she knew things Geralt didn’t.

Feeling weary and even more tired than before, the witcher entered their bedroom to find Yennefer brushing her luxurious raven hair in front of a flying mirror, already wearing her nightgown. The smell of lilac and gooseberries filled the small room, giving it a suffocating sensation, as if the day had been hotter than usual and no windows were open. Geralt sat on their bed and took off his boots, wiggling his toes. Yennefer turned to him with a side-glance.

“If you plan on sleeping on the same bed as me, you must first take a bath. You are filthy.”

“I will. Just let me rest for a few seconds…”

Yennefer stopped brushing her hair and with a hand movement sent the mirror flying to the dresser. She turned to face Geralt directly, looking him in the eyes.

“There’s something bothering you. I mean, other than the eminent confrontation with the Wild Hunt… Should I suppose it has something to do with Philippa?”

“Why would you think that?”

“You certainly saw her leaving our room. She came to _let me know_ we would have to delay our departure to Skellige. Didn’t care to explain me why, and I was too tired to insist on an explanation….”

“That’s very unlike you.”

“It seems I’ve been acting unlike myself for a while… I’m tired Geralt, I mean it. Some confrontations are simply not worthy it. But now, what is it?”

“You’re not going to like it.”

He put his head down, avoiding her gaze. Yen waited patiently, or at least seemly patiently, for her fingers were fidgeting on the side of the stool she was sitting on.

“I’ve agreed on helping on a plan to… _depose_ Radovid.”

That took Yennefer by surprise. The room was silent, her hands now still on her lap. Geralt lifted his head to look at her, however the sorceress was staring the floor with a blank face. The room seemed to have become hotter, the stillness getting unbearable. The silence was broken by some steps on the hall, a pair of drunk tenants passing by. Finally, their gazes met and Yen said on a bearably audible whisper.

“I understand why you’re doing it.”

“I’d hoped you would. You know I don’t like meddling in politics, but he has to be stopped, for…”

“Ciri’s sake.”

“Not only hers. _Your_ s. Everyone’s. I helped Triss with evacuating the mages out of Novigrad, that only made that madman and his hunters go after non-humans. I haven’t agreed on giving the final blow myself, but my part on the plan is essential to make it work.”

“Is there any way I can help?”

“Yes, staying as far away as possible. We’ll be dealing with Witch Hunters and I’d rest easier if they didn’t have a clue that the great sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg is in Novigrad. Please Yen.”

At first she just stared at him, but slowly a smirk appeared on her face.

“So be it. If you say you can do it, I believe you can. Just don’t take any unnecessary risks okay?”

“I will be careful.”

“Good. Now let the great sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg help you out of this filthy armor. You’ll have better chances tomorrow if you have a good night of sleep…”

“Yen… I won’t be sleeping if you take off my clothes…”

“Well, at least you’ll have a _good night_ … after you take a bath, of course.”


	2. The day of

Geralt left the Rosemary and Thyme at dawn. Yennefer, who usually stayed in bed until noon, couldn’t go back to sleep. Therefore, the sorceress tried to find ways to distract herself, mainly revising the details of their plan to find the sun stone and making more elixirs to help with Rita’s recovery.

At noon, she went downstairs and had lunch with Dandelion and Ciri, doing her best not to show how worried she was. However, the relationship between Yen and Ciri was strong enough so that the girl noticed something was bothering the sorceress. When returning to her chambers, Ciri followed her.

“What’s wrong?”

“What?! Why would anything be wrong?”

“Remember you once promised to always be honest with me, Lady Yennefer?”

Yennefer sighed, and then smiled thinking of the memories of easier times when they were training together on the temple of Melitele.

“How could I forget? Come inside ugly one, so we can talk more comfortably.”

So they did. Ciri came inside and took her boots off, wiggling her toes, just as Geralt had done the night before. Smiling at that, Yennefer sat beside her daughter and started undoing her high bun, using a soft brush to smooth the tangles on her hair. While doing so, Yennefer told Ciri about Geralt’s quest and the reason why he took it.

“He’ll be back. Safe. He always does.”

“I know…”

“It’s impossible not to worry, isn’t it?”

“It seems worrying is all I’ve been doing since my memories came back.”

“About that… Did my f… Emhyr do something to you?”

“Ah Ciri, it was a dungeon. Though it was nothing compared to what I had to endure with Vilgefortz or what Rita had to deal with the Witch Hunters, so I consider myself lucky. It’s just…”

“What?”

“Well, the Emperor’s mages worked daily to bring my memories back, and when they did, the last thing I remembered was Geralt giving himself to free me. Sometime after that, I came to learn you were back and being hunted by the same people that did that to us. Emhyr gave me the resources I needed to try tracking you, but I was still a captive… I had a more comfortable cell, sure, but a captive nonetheless…”

Yennefer sighed and stopped to analyze the work she was doing. Ciri’s ashen hair was now smooth and untangled, so Yen proceeded to apply some scented oils to it. The girl closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of her mother’s hand on her head and waited for the rest of the story.

“The same day they told me you were back, they also told me Geralt had returned… I knew the two things were related, and told Emhyr that the fastest way to find you would be through him.”

“I don’t understand why nobody tried to help Geralt to gain his memories back… he met so many of our friends… why none of them…?”

“It’s something I wonder myself...”

Yennefer paused, thinking. All the nasty feelings she had been suppressing resurfacing, the hurt of knowing how many people thought she and Ciri weren’t worth mentioning, as if Geralt would be better off without them. However, she knew other people's opinions mattered not, a lesson she had learned repeatedly after Thanned.

"Confronting them was all I could think about after the emperor’s scouts came back with the news that Geralt was living a blissful ignorant life in Foltest’s court. But it’s not worth it. What they think of me, the way they act all knowingly… as if they could know all the sacrifices I’ve made for this family. For Geralt. All the sacrifices _you’ve_ made, my daughter, giving away your freedom to save us. Let them be, let them think they know me, I don’t care. I only care for you and Geralt.”

“I… I wish I could have come sooner. If I were with Geralt when he confronted the Wild Hunt for you, things might have gone differently. I wish I were there for you.”

“Things could have gone differently, yes. They might have captured you, we could have perished for good...”

“Or we might had won and Vesemir would still be alive.”

“Never torture yourself with what ifs, Ciri. What’s done is done.”

Saying that, Yennefer proceeded to braid Ciri’s hair. The slow movements of the sorceress’ hand were deliberate, a way to enjoy the moment. Ciri sighed and relaxed a little, enjoying the feeling of being taken care of.

“Well, you were telling me about your days at Emhyr’s court.”

“Those days really don’t matter. What matter is that only after every way of tracking you magically failed, and the Hunt’s magic signature was detected dangerously close by, did the emperor allow me to contact Geralt directly.”

“And then you had to find me.”

“We had to find you… Ciri, you were and have always been my biggest priority. After Thanned I did everything by the book and failed you… this time, I saved no expense. I did somethings that weren’t right, somethings you’d probably hate me if you knew, but we had to find you. And we did.”

“You’ve never failed me Mama. And I could never hate you.”

Ciri turned around and hugged Yennefer tightly. The sorceress hugged her back, putting her head on the girl's shoulder, smelling the oils she applied on the hair. Both of them had an urge to cry, but held it for the sake of each other. They barely had the time to be together, and they would enjoy this opportunity until it lasted.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful, mother and daughter doing simple things to forget how worried they were for Geralt. That included some gossiping, checking up on Rita and plotting some pranks to make on Philippa… not that they would ever put those plans to fruition, of course, but they were funny to think about.

As the night approached, both of them returned to the suite, laying on bed together. Between their talks, fatigue won over and they fell asleep, holding each other. When Geralt arrived in the middle of the night, he joined the two of them as silently as possible, finding a spot on the wall where he could fit without waking them up. And so the three of them slept until the next morning, finding peace, at least for a while.


	3. The morning after

Ciri was the first one to wake up in the morning. Rays of sunshine slipped through the blinds, creating patterns on the wooden floor. The girl took a deep breath, inhaling the earthen aroma that came from Geralt, on her right, and the well-known smell of lilac and gooseberries on her left. It smelled like home.

After a while, the girl got up as silently as she could, although it wasn’t quite enough as to avoid waking up someone with witcher’s senses. Geralt slipped out of bed effortlessly, already very alert, putting his finger on his mouth to indicate silence. With his hands, he pointed to the door, telling Ciri to tag along to the hall. Listening to them, Yennefer opened one eye, smiled and closed it again.

“Let’s talk downstairs. Yen gets incredibly moody when she wakes up early.”

“Sure. Just let me freshen up a bit in my own bedroom. See you in a second, Geralt.”

Saying that, Ciri left to her chambers. Geralt stretched his arms and went downstairs to grab some breakfast for the two of them.

In the morning there was no music in the Rosemary and Thyme, and the clientele was reduced to some tenants who were just waking up and some patrons who fell asleep after drinking way too much ale. This morning Dandelion was nowhere to be seen, and besides the keeper, no one was in the vicinity.

Geralt greeted the keeper and, as of usual, made himself at home preparing breakfast. He made some scrambled eggs with onions and grabbed a jar of milk, finishing everything right when Ciri arrived at the hall.

“I could get used to you preparing my breakfast, you know.”

“And I could get used to sleeping every night on a comfortable bed and actually having breakfast.”

Both of them sat on a table on the corner, eating as if they hadn’t eaten in months. When everything was done, Ciri turned aside to put her legs on the bench, looking at Geralt.

“So, how was it? Did you do what you had to do?”

“When did you?... Yen, of course. About the plan, it was a mess, almost nothing went according to the plan, we had a surprise visit by the end and, to top that, we had to deal with a power crazy traitor. But it’s done.”

“Good. You have to tell me everything in detail later… we were worried.”

“So was I, Ciri. That’s why it had to be done.”

“And now we are ready to finish our job with the Hunt.”

“Right. Gotta talk to Avallac’h and Philippa. The ship is ready to sail. Wanna come?”

“Nah, I had my share of Philippa… for my entire life, honestly. Think I’m going to wake Yennefer up, tell her to get ready.”

“Good luck with that. I’d suggest you take some apple juice with you.”

 

 

Ciri sneaked into the room, checking if the sorceress was still asleep. Yennefer was already awake, although still in bed, starring at the ceiling.

“Good morning, Lady Yennefer. Brought you some apple juice. Geralt says we’re leaving to Skellige today.”

“Morning, duckling. Thanks, that was very thoughtful.”

With lazy movements, Yennefer walked to the tray and poured juice in a wooden goblet, sitting on a stool. While she did that, Ciri opened the blinds and made the bed, looking a bit anxious.

“Is there something bothering you, Ciri?”

“Yes! No? I just want it to be over already. It’ll take weeks until we get to Skellige, find the sunstone."

The girl stopped and sighed.

"We haven’t been able to gather all the sorceresses we thought we would. When Geralt told me we were ready to leave, all these fears… what if… you or Geralt this time…”

“Hush… come here Ciri.”

The sorceress left the goblet behind and stoop up with open arms. Ciri buried her face on Yennefer’s shoulder, letting some of the anxiety go. Sighing, Yen broke the hug and started packing the rest of her things.

“I’m not going to say everything will be alright. We don’t know that. But there’s no use to worrying about things we can’t control. So why don’t you enjoy this morning with me? I have but an hour before I gather with Rita and Philippa by the docks.”

And so they spent the few minutes they had left talking about mundane things. When everything was packed, Yennefer put on her cloak, wary that even with Radovid dead, his Witch Hunters may still be prowling the streets. With a determined look, the sorceress applied some glamour and her famous perfume, turned around and looked at Ciri.

“I’m ready. You should gather the belongings you have left and meet us by the docks.”

“I travel light.”

“If you say so. Shall we go?”

“In a second… I’ve been meaning to ask, aren’t you excited to return to Skellige?”

“Why would I be?”

“Geralt told me you got rid of the Djin’s wish there. It was a very romantic story, no wonder Dandelion is always making ballads about the two of you…”

“Yeah, it had to be done. We’d never have known otherwise.”

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

“After he told me, I found myself thinking… Geralt’s wish had nothing to with love, it had to do with fate. And the two of you are still linked by fate anyway. Because of me.”

“My, my, you might be right, ugly one. When did you get so wise?”

“I had a good teacher.”

Yennefer smiled, one of those rare smiles that very few people would ever be fortunate to see. Ciri smiled too, and so, mother and daughter left for the docks.


End file.
